Edgy's football blog | Time to put semis in neutral

November 14, 2012|Edgy Tim | On High School Football

The topic pops up on cue annually at this time.

Should state semifinals be held at neutral sites?

You can make a case on both sides of this debate.

Several schools with natural home surfaces will host games this weekend. Rain last weekend caused starts to be delayed and playing conditions to be the equivalent of mud pits at some schools, which is not ideal for the second most important weekend of the football season.

State tournaments in many other sports are held at neutral locations. Football is different, I know. But why not move these important games to a playable site?

Yes, both teams have to deal with conditions on a given day. Some of the best games over the years have been played in mud pits. But you can't tell me fans are getting the best possible football games from both sides.

Unlike 10 years ago, when only a handful of fields had artificial surface, there are many more options for fair playing fields today.

The Illinois High School Association accepts bids to host the state finals only from schools with artificial surface. Why not do the same for the semifinals?

While we're at it, if we want to see whether state final games would draw more fans if they were played in the Chicago area, a test run of semifinal games at Gately Stadium or a number of other facilities in the area would give us a better idea.

It's understandable that schools wouldn't want to give up home-field advantage in a semifinal. But the current policy that determines home games is hardly foolproof.

If semifinals aren't played at neutral sites, I believe higher seeds should automatically host semifinals.

But that's not how the system is set up.

What is the point of going 9-0 with a high number of playoff points, only to find yourself on the road for the most important game of your season?

I'm sure fans of Lake Forest, Lemont and Benet wouldn't be happy with the change this year. But under "Edgy Law," those teams would be on the road this week. Or at a neutral site.

Sorry, but we need to break away from the current, "Everyone gets pizza and a trophy" mentality.

Life isn't always "fair."

Tim O'Halloran is the publisher of edgytim.com and a regular Tribune contributor.